A quick question: does ZAP have any different features compared to ZX / LT models ? ...... in terms of what's there when navigating the menu, not in terms of pads/trigger inputs etc

The software features are identical to the ZX and LT. The ZAP has three trigger inputs instead of just one. The first is +10 noise floor like the ZX and LT aux¬† inputs, the next two are the same as the other Zendrum triggers. There is no MergeBrick Power supply since this is a stationary device, instead the 12volt transformer plugs directly into the rear patch panel via a locking connector.109

jeff sanders

It's Matthew Antolick - I play Zendrum full time at Disney's EPCOT Center Moroccan Pavillion with Morockin'.¬ I've probably met a lot of you there!¬ Anyhow, this is exciting!

I've been laying my zendrum flat and/or wearing it while sitting down programming for a while, when working with my other projects The OaKs or the Future Funk Collective, and it's going to be great to have an MPC-type interface with the control and sensitivity of a Zendrum.

I'm thinking of the possibilities of having two! (one for each hand) -- (yeah!)

nice seeing you here. i got my ma a morockin cd for her belly dancing class to dance with after i found the link here on the zen site. they love it!

may i ask what type of audio interface you use? im in the market for one to use with my 24" imac. i use garageband, a motu midi express xt usb and my computer headphone jack for now. i plan on upgrading to logic studio when i learn which hardware to buy.

thanx for any suggestions and thank you for making great music.

Logged

Lunatique

I'm 90% sure I'm going to get one, but I have one concern. Originally I was going to get the LT version, since I'm going to be using it as only a recording input controller. But now with the desktop version, it seems to fit my needs even more (and cost less). BUT, I'm a bit concerned that the layout of the buttons isn't as efficient, since there's no grouping and spacing between them, so it might be hard to avoid accidentally hitting triggers you don't want to hit? Any comments about that?

loosesnare

A quick question: does ZAP have any different features compared to ZX / LT models ? ...... in terms of what's there when navigating the menu, not in terms of pads/trigger inputs etc

The software features are identical to the ZX and LT. The ZAP has three trigger inputs instead of just one. The first is +10 noise floor like the ZX and LT aux¬† inputs, the next two are the same as the other Zendrum triggers. There is no MergeBrick Power supply since this is a stationary device, instead the 12volt transformer plugs directly into the rear patch panel via a locking connector.109

Thanks!

Logged

hypno|sapien

I'm 90% sure I'm going to get one, but I have one concern. Originally I was going to get the LT version, since I'm going to be using it as only a recording input controller. But now with the desktop version, it seems to fit my needs even more (and cost less). BUT, I'm a bit concerned that the layout of the buttons isn't as efficient, since there's no grouping and spacing between them, so it might be hard to avoid accidentally hitting triggers you don't want to hit? Any comments about that?

I haven't had any problems hitting the wrong triggers. In fact, the close layout allows really fast and accurate triplets. It's easy to go side to side, up and down, and diagonally. I really can't imagine having the triggers further apart. It just doesn't seem to me like it would be as playable.

And I am able to create groupings of a sort. Here's the mapping I use for a standard drum kit (the change a lot):

Snare 2 rim Shaker BD

Snare 2 Cowbell

China Crash 1 Crash 2 Ride Open hh

Low tom Med tom Hi tom Closed hh

BD Snare 1 ruff/roll

I have all 16 note mappings set to work with different kits - drum kits, percussion kits, hand drums, melodic instruments...

I'll be posting a video tomorrow. It doesn't have any real close up playing shots, but I think you'll still be able to see how easy it is to play. I don't think you'd regret getting a ZAP.

« Last Edit: January 09, 2008, 08:01:20 AM by hypno|sapien »

Logged

hypno|sapien

Okay, finally got some video ready. This is a 45 minute completely improv jam with my friend Mark (on the left) condensed into about 5 minutes. No pre-recorded or pre-sequenced material. Pretty rough. And shot after a day of technical troubleshooting...and maybe a little drinking. Sorry for the poor audio - we used the on-camera mic with a pa speaker pointed at it. We'll work on that for next time.

duojet

get the laptop. In certain areas its spread out and in certain areas its not. the areas where its more closely packed you can easily hit with your fingertips. is use the spread out parts for things i need to hit simultaneously, for example with the knife edge of the hand ,edge of my thumb, or the heel of my hand on the two large pads (there are 4 on the laptop) to get a bass drum and cymbal at the same time. it seems with the zap you are going to have to be much more careful to hit each pad with fingertips very carefully wheras with the laptop you can play with the hands much more freely. only speculation since i own a laptop not the zap. the laptop i think is worth the extra$$. i am extremely happy with mine.

For those worried about "too close" and such, let me just remind you that each model of Zendrum is a different animal and will have different techniques.

Look how close the strings on a guitar are. Yet any decent guitarist can lay their fingers exactly as needed on these tiny cramped targets.

Piano keys are seperated by about a millimeter on a fine instrument, and the keys themselves are certainly smaller than Zendrum pads.

But I'm pretty sure there are more pianists in the world who can whip out Flight Of The Bumblebee than there are Zendrummers.

It is a different skill set and motion for each model.

Practice and perseverence is what matters here.

The fingerings on a clarinet and a flute are remarkably similar. Yet a clarinet player who has never touched a flute will have an adjustment period learning the nuance of the new instrument and must adapt techniques.

This is a new instrument. You may be totally inaccurate and awful on it.

Have you ever heard a third grader trying to learn violin?

You have to start somewhere, even if you think it might be more difficult.

Thanks Geo, I agree. And I think it's great how everyone has their favorite...as if there's ever been a traditional Zendrummer!!!

I've never mastered the LT as I have my ZX, and I remember some trepidation voiced about whether the LT was as cool as the ZX. When we designed the LT in 2000, we were thinking about how cool it was for someone in a wheelchair to be able to play music again. John Emrich has since mastered the LT worn like the ZX and has put it out in many videos over the internet. Now that the LT has become a very recognizable image, we are launching yet another product targeted towards an already established marketplace. We believe that the fundamental feel of a real instrument fills a void, and the playing response speaks for itself. What has surprised me most is what it does melodically better than any previous Zendrum.

I can't wait to see what everyone does with the ZAP...imagination is a wonderful thing!

109

Logged

David HaneyZendrum Corporation

jeff sanders

way back in my school days id twiddle my fingers on the desk in like a little 5 stroke roll that started with the pinky and ended with the thumb. i used to imagine how cool it would be if there was a tiny drum set of real sounds that could be played like that. the trigger layout of the zap enables that kind of triggering perfectly.

ten fingers = ten drumsticks

i cant wait to hear the stuff tribe members are gonna come up with on the ever evolving zendrums newest product.

Logged

Bruce Richardson

I'm the second ZAP owner...the Walnut one at the top of this set of posts.¬† Yippeee!!¬† (as any Tribesman knows, the real thing always looks even more lovely than the pics...it's deeper colored and beautiful)

Also, I have had a beautiful ZX for over a year, and I've spent a fair amount of time on one of David's LTs.¬† So, I'm pretty familiar with the entire line.

To address some questions I'm hearing about the ZAP.

1)¬† It's not any less of a Zendrum than the other models.

Not by a long shot.¬† In fact, the ZAP may be extremely popular, not just on a price point scale.¬† Really, there is absolutely no difference in quality or choices.¬† You get a couple of extra external trigger inputs, because there are two less on the surface.¬† The electronics are the same.¬† The great response is the same, and the darn thing is HEAVY, so there's just nothing in any way that's "less" about it, except the price.¬† And the only reason the price is cheaper (not trying to speak for the great bald one) is pretty obvious.¬† No power brick, no strap hardware, no twenty-coats of clear over analine dye, no buff-out for hours.¬† Take all that labor off, and you get ZAP.

2)¬† Triggering accuracy/bleed

In short, no difference.¬† In fact, it's f$&*ing awesome.¬† Think of the tip of your finger, the middle "pad" of your finger, and the top and heel of your palm as trigger points, and you get the idea.¬† Remember, this is a ZENDRUM we're talking about.¬† The dynamic range of the triggers lets you do some amazing conga-like techniques, and the closeness of the pads is the magic that makes that happen.¬† Just by "shaping" your hand different ways, you can do some amazing technical things that are not available on the other two models.¬† So, I'm actually back to #1.¬† This is not less of a product.¬† It's a different beast, for less money, that some people will actually prefer to the other two models!!!!!!!

3)¬† Now, it gets exciting

The ZAP is a very different technique.¬† Ironically, I was calling David to talk about an idea for an alternative Zendrum, because I was interested in designing some instruments that were hybrid physical models/samples.¬† What I described to him was almost to the letter what he had been already thinking for ZAP.

I know that I am not alone among people who are designing instruments with the ZAP in mind.¬† In fact, I'll be in the TASCAM booth at NAMM with a fairly complete prototype of my first one, a cross-cultural Asian "jamfest" with an O Daiko, a Korean Buk, and a set of piccolo woodblocks, all sampled to absolutely ridiculous depths (stop by, and just try to make it machine gun...). Of course, the ZAP will be there, too, so you can try out the new instrument and the ZAP.

I don't want to hog the great bald one's bandwidth with my own silly little plug.¬† My main concern in mentioning it is that I wanted to convey just how seriously I'm taking the ZAP.¬† It is a Zendrum of note, a no-compromise addition to the current line, and I'd be willing to bet that any of you out there who have an LT or an ZX (or both) would be just as excited as I am about it.

So, there's my little brain dump on the ZAP.¬† I just enjoyed a delightful Tanqueray 10 with a few drops of Peychaud's Bitters, and rather than continue typing while my IQ drops accordingly, I think I'll close it up and just say THANKS to Zendrum for yet another fantastic controller.